Until now we've been isolating body parts In a pattern where one body segment follows the next. You should understand that when you use the isolations to make a character, you probably won't be putting them In a continuous order. For example, you'll probably separate the hips without separating everything that comes before, or you'll rotate the shoulder and chest segment without adding the head and neck.

A good way to find useful applications for Isolations is to go people watching some day. Figure out how different people have isolated their bodies, then mimic them (maybe not at that moment). Or go to the ZOO. Watch animals. Animals offer a great source for creating characters.

In an exercise called animal characterizations, you mimic the isolations of an animal as closely as you can and turn it into a human character. A gorilla, for example, has Its hips inclined down, its chest separated forward and its head separated back. After you mimic it as best you can, you make the gorilla's most prominent features (the hips and chest) less extreme and more human. As a stage character, the gorilla might turn into a construction worker or a heavy set- lounge singer.

Mastering isolations will let you use your body more effectively. But like everything you may have to practice a little to see any changes. As a further method for improving how you move, try to be more critical with how you watch others. Look for the differences in their physical character.

When you watch movies or television shows, you'll notice rather quickly some extreme uses of isolations. Imitators of Groucho Marx always emphasize his inclination at the waist when he walks, and the small rotation of his head when he holds his cigar up to his mouth.  Carol Burnett made amazing use of her body in the old Carol Burnett show. One character you might look for in particular is her "Mrs. Wiggins," in which she accentuates her bum by stressing a backward hip and waist separation As you Practice these techniques, you'll probably feel (and look) quite funny. 

It's evident from the two examples above that body isolations lend themselves most readily to comedy and comedic characters. While exaggeration is often considered one of the important techniques of comedy it is sometimes called for in serious characters, too, (usually characters with Physical maladies) such as the Elephant Man or the Hunchback of Notre Dame. But don't feel limited to just exaggerated body shapes. The most proficient actors know how to use subtle Isolations to create fantastic-but realistic-characters, The Marlon Brando of The Godfather, for example, is markedly different from the Marlon Brando of On the
Waterfront.  

With experience and careful observation, you too can make simple body isolations a powerful tool for Creating a character.